ABSTRACT
While Kaplan compared the different forms of paragraph development in diverse cultures, the author states that cultural distinctions in his case manifested themselves in the use of logical connectives, detachment from the subject, and authorial stance. He finds also that even commonalities exist between the Chinese and English writing conventions, even though they occupy a small proportion compared to the differences. Because of these realizations, his literacy development is primarily a process of learning and unlearning, adjusting himself to the different requirements of the two traditions of writing conventions. His transition from a Chinese writing style to the English academic writing style, with selective appropriation of features from both traditions, disproves the determinism implied in contrastive rhetoric pedagogies.
